Research for the Community Development stream for the Nepal Conference has been a real high for me since September. Every ICA has been involved in incredibly creative community development work, and this has been going on for 20 years or more. Going through the documentation of initiatives has been an eye-opener, and it is all online at http://top-global.org. Here are just a few of the hundreds of stories I have read from all over the world

In Lukavac, Bosnia, agricultural production from 100 square meters of the new greenhouse was equal to the production from 1,000 square meters in the field. This has attracted the younger generation of the minority Roma population to return to start producing agricultural products.

Mt. Mapidya on Luzon Island in the Philippines was badly denuded, mainly because of illegal logging. Forest resources were also threatened by disasters such as floods. Slowly but surely, during the ICA project’s biodiversity research, tree planting, literacy and environment education, trees grew and people became more conscious of their environment.

Every Tuesday, underweight children in Ipongo, Zambia, went to the clinic to eat porridge mixed with groundnut flour, which is rich in protein. ICA promoted the planting of groundnuts and the people became aware of the importance of eating legumes.

In Brobo, Cote D’Ivoire, unemployment was a serious problem and the youth either went to cities searching for jobs or stayed idle in their village. So vocational training courses in carpentry, weaving, sewing and hairdressing were set up for 35 trainees and the training center was renovated during the school break.

After Galle in Sri Lanka was destroyed by the tsunami, a common complaint among those living in refugee camps was that there were many more occasions of friction between each other, with even small problems escalating. This required the ability to listen very carefully to each other when working together on Community Rebuilding Plans.

In Siaya, Kenya, agricultural productivity was low because of poor soil and a hot and dry climate.

An agricultural and business management training seminar was organized for 15 groups of 450 women. They learned techniques in organic agriculture and sales.

There were no proper toilet facilities in Cochamarca, Peru. Poor sanitary conditions and practices such as eating with dirty hands resulted in frequent outbreaks of disease among the villagers. Faced with these problems, they realized that outside help was needed to help them change their existing situation. Opening up to outside help resulted in biodigesters, improved fruit trees, irrigation from a windmill water pump and the generation of electricity, in addition to public toilets.

Women are always the first in any work in Mulshi, India! They were waiting to begin digging a sumpwell for a lift irrigation scheme. In the village meeting, it was decided that at least one member from each family needed to participate. More women came because men were in Mumbai working to support their family.

Ewenke is located in Hulunbeier prairie in China. Its population includes Ewenke, Mongolian, Han Chinese and several other ethnic groups. The question was put to 36 female village leaders at a consensus workshop: “What is the village we want to build?” The participants liked the workshop because they saw the future, and the ideas came from them. They also recognized that they could unite to become a team to help each other, no longer working as individual villages.

Going back to Bosnia and Herzegovina, BOSPO, a microcredit organization, organized round tables in five towns: Sarajevo, Tuzla, Bijeljina, Banja Luka and Zenica. The subject of the round tables was “Elections 2010”. The aim was to invite as many of the Roma population as possible to vote.

These are just a few of the hundreds and even thousands of stories that multiply the impact of ICA’s community development on the world. The ICA staff and ToP facilitators who were the catalysts behind these always point to the local community practitioners who made them happen. This is the magic that I am excited to explore further at the Global Conference in Nepal.

Theme Coordinators:
William Staples
bstaples@ica-associates.ca
Bhawani Dhungana
tdhungana@yahoo.com

See the conference website for further details at: www.humandevelopmentconference.com